1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to vehicle doors and more particularly to vehicle door assemblies that include components made of different materials.
2. Related Art
Vehicle doors typically include an outer panel, an inner panel spaced laterally from the outer panel to provide a central space (also known as a window receiving well) and a window frame secured to the outer panel. Various components, such as a latch mechanism and a window channel, are secured to at least one of the inner and outer panels within the central space. Historically, all of these components, including the inner and outer panels, were formed of steel. However, more recently, in order to improve a vehicle's fuel economy and performance, some vehicle door manufacturers have used aluminum rather than steel to form the above-listed components. Although aluminum is generally lighter than steel, there are certain drawbacks to producing doors substantially entirely of aluminum. For example, a greater volume of aluminum may be required to provide an all-aluminum door with sufficient resistance to side impacts.
One known bi-metallic door assembly includes a large metal plate which is sandwiched between aluminum inner and outer panels. However, the weight savings from this approach are limited and this approach may be too costly for some mass manufacturing applications.
There is a significant and continuing need for a cost effective approach to reduce the weight of door assemblies without compromising their side impact resistance.